Bureau of Mysteries and the Mechanomancers by HJ Harper

Bureau of Mysteries is back in another thrilling story!

 George and Imp are at Rusty Gulch on the trail of the vicious villains Cloak and Dagger. George soon finds out that Imp has made them up so he could get a holiday! The real trouble is on the other side of the gulch, it's the powerful Mechanomancers! Luckily, the first three have already been defeated by Lord Perwinkle Tinkerton, the famous explorer. And just in time, he arrives in his mammoth mobile and stops the fourth Mechanomancer and his mechanical bull in their tracks. 

His scribe Lexia is writing in a big purple book, she never seems to stop. When George and Imp get back to HQ, Hobb and Tempora aren't that exited to see them. They both have their nose buried in Tinkerton's Tales (about The Bull of Rusty Gulch.) Soon Tinkerton is over in Little Obscurity for his book signing. This is when Tinkerton and the Bureau of Mysteries find the fifth Mechanomancer, the Stink King, by falling through a gaping hole in the library after a huge explosion. George befriends a giant rat called Bubonic and he helps them beat the Stink King. But first the Stink King traps them in his scungeon to rot until George cracks the code that is their best chance of getting out of the sewers - they have to joust the Stink King! Tinkerton has a go first on a giant wood louse but it scuttles into a corner, meanwhile the Stink King's louse stays perfectly still. The teams only hope is to find another steed to ride on. Then George calls Bubonic and rides on him. They beat the Stink King and his manure mansion (his house) dissolves.

  

After a job well done they settle down at HQ when George finds the sixth Mechanomancer, the Germinator. She has the power to control any types of plant and greenery. They need to get to the tallest tree. On the way, the Bureau of Mysteries discover weird dwarf like shrubs called weedlings. They speak a very strange language which George manages to figure out but they soon make enemies of the weedlings. One of the weedlings transforms in to an ENORMOUS weedling. Despite its size, it's very slow and George and Imp manage to slip past but George realises that the tree is surrounded by a maze! Luckily, they find their way through but as they come to the tree they realise that they can't get up! Soon they spot a weedling coming up to the tree. He says, "Knock, knock" and three vines slide down the tree. The weedling picked the first one and zoomed off into the branches of the tree. George soon figured that it was morse code in flowers. He soon deciphered it and knew which one to take. They took the second one because it spelled "harmless" and zoomed off into the tree.

When they got to the top they saw Tinkerton tied up in some vines, he had been a victim of the Germinator.

Then George and Imp come face to face with a massive pumpkin-head-like creature - Pumpkinstein to be exact! George uses a device to scare away the plants which is actually Imp singing in the shower, it makes such a bad sound that Tempora has to mute it so only plants can hear it. George uses the device but it isn't powerful enough to have an effect on  Pumpkinstein so he has to get Imp to actually sing! It has an immediate effect on Pumpkinstein but unfortunately Tinkerton can't cover his ears because he's wrapped up in vines. George has to think quickly, he grabs the Organic Desynthesiser and turns the handle, the vines that are holding Tinkerton wither away. As they do so the tree begins to tilt side ways, with an almighty thud the tallest tree hits the ground.... They had defeated the Germinator.

George, Imp, Tinkerton and Lexia are back at Bureau of Mysteries HQ on the trail of the Blue Baron, the seventh and final Mechanomancer. With no luck searching in the day, they retreat to their beds, when George spots the Blue Baron's airship. It has a special contraption at the front that shoots bolts of lightning. George wakes Hobb, Tempora and Imp to tell them about the news, Tempora says that there is no way to get to the airship but Hobb has an idea. He used to belong to the crew of the Musclebound, the fiercest pirate crew in the seven skies, not only that, he was their captain! He takes George and Imp to a pirate pub to meet the Musclebound crew. They agree to take them on their ship to destroy the Blue Baron. On the way, they meet a three-headed sky serpent, the only way to stop it attacking you is to call out the names of the each head. George does this brilliantly, he calls out "Dawn, Day, Dusk!" and soon stops them. They carry on in the Mustlebound until they reach the Blue Baron's ship. There is a thrilling battle AND some SURPRISES at the end but you'll have to read the book to find out more (: 

I really liked this book because of the funny names for the villains and heroes that HJ Harper used and the cool characters, especially the fierce and funny Bronzebeard - Captain of the Musclebound!! Rating: 9 out of 10!!

HJ Harper's Writing Laboratory (of Doom)!